Maybe it Was Fate
by IceAngel 69
Summary: Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy are in their final year at Hogwarts, in six years their paths have never crossed, then one night their lives come crashing together, it's the beginning of something that will shake their families to the core.
1. Chapter 1

I know, I haven't written anything in a long time but I've been having trouble finding the time and the enthusiasm to write anything so when the inspiration for this one struck I was thrilled. This is my first time writing these characters and unlike what I usually write, I don't have a lot of canon to fall back on concerning their personalities so I'm sorry if they seem a bit wobbly while I get my head around who they are. Anyway, as always; enjoy and tell me what you think.

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Contrary to what Albus's dad had feared upon seeing Draco Malfoy with his own son on platform nine and three quarters for the first time, Albus and Scorpius had very little to do with one another for the majority of their schooling. With Albus surprising no one in his family by being placed in Slytherin and Scorpius surprising everyone by being placed in Ravenclaw; their lives and circle of friends remained largely unaware of each other.

In their six years at Hogwarts the two boys had interacted only twice; once when Albus had run into the blonde boy outside of first period Potions, in which he'd apologized and they'd gone their separate ways and the second time they'd been studying at separate tables in the library and Scorpius had asked to borrow a quill. That was the extent of it and Albus was aware of the collective sigh of relief throughout the castle when it became clear the two boys had no interest in continuing their father's rather legendary war. Of course all of that changed three weeks into Albus's seventh year.

…

When you grow up in such a large family you come to appreciate the importance of alone time, something Albus had learnt long before his siblings. Of course when you share a dorm with fifteen other boys, more creativity is needed. His brother James had relied on the Marauder's Map stolen from their father's desk draw to aid him in his midnight activities. Albus used a different method, one that wouldn't get him in trouble with his dad should he be caught with a map he wasn't supposed to know the existence of.

Although the prefect's scouting routes were meant to be random, they rarely were and each had their own section of the castle they preferred. Tonight being Friday meant that the Hufflepuff Prefect was meant to be patrolling the library and the surrounding area, however Albus knew he had a habit of using his time to make out with his girlfriend by the second floor suit of armor instead of actually doing his job.

Which is how Albus found himself strolling down the blissfully empty hallway, the moonlight shinning in from high windows and illuminating his way. The night air was chilly and he shoved his hands deep into his pockets, sighing happily at the silence. He loved his friends and he loved his family, however mad they all were, every now and then he needed peace and quiet and…

The heavy doors of the library swung open violently, smashing and splintering against the stone walls, their hinges squealing in protest. A thick cloud of ash and smoke came pouring out, making his eyes water and his lungs burn. Through the smoke he could see the burning inferno that had once been the library and he froze, mouth open and eyes wide at the sight.

He should run, get out of there quickly before teachers and students arrived, but he was frozen to the spot, not quite believing what he was seeing. In his shock he didn't see the boy with platinum blonde hair coming towards him until it was too late and he hit the ground with a thump, the air whooshing out his lungs.

His head spinning from the hit he rolled onto his side, coughing and spluttering, gasping for air but getting smoke instead. The blonde had fallen next to him and was staring wide eyed at the room full of orange fire he'd managed to escape from. It took Albus a moment to recognize the blonde boy covered in ash as Scorpius Malfoy and he blinked.

He didn't know what was more surprising, that the quiet boy who more or less kept to his small group of friends had seemingly snapped and set fire to the school or that a Ravenclaw had set fire to a room full of books.

"Malfoy… what did you do?" he asked breathlessly, at a loss for anything else to say.

The blonde boy startled like he'd forgotten Albus was there and shook his head jerkily, looking at him with watery eyes. "It was an accident. I didn't mean to." He whispered, barely audible over the crackle and pop of the flames.

Albus couldn't help but feel sorry for him, he looked like hell, his eyes were red and bloodshot from the smoke, face smeared with ash and his robes were charred in places and completely burnt away in others. Before he could answer they heard hurried footsteps and yelling from down the hall and Scorpius began to shake.

"I'm going to be expelled. My life is over."

Albus watched as Scorpius started to hyperventilate and started to panic himself. He didn't do well with comforting people and even if he was, there was nothing he could say that wouldn't be a lie, chances were, Scorpius was going to be on the Hogwarts express on his way home in a few hours.

The footsteps were closer now and Albus knew it was only the thick grey smoke pouring from the burning room that was hiding them from view and it wouldn't last much longer. He looked over the other boy's shoulder to the end of the hall, if he ran now right before the Professors stumbled upon Scorpius, he could make it down there without being seen while they dealt with the blonde boy and slip through the hidden passageway behind the portrait without anyone knowing he was here and keep his spotless record.

He hadn't done anything wrong, why should he get in trouble when it was Malfoy's fault? For all he knew the blonde would blame him in the hopes of avoiding expulsion. Mind made up he stood to his feet ready to bolt, and then he made the mistake of looking down Scorpius who was so caught in his own worry, hadn't even realised Albus had stood up.

Ice blue eyes met his and god Scorpius was handsome, even looking like he'd lost a fight with a Blast Ended Skrewt. He looked so lost; nothing like the confident boy he'd seen walking around the castle, or the cold aloofness Albus had seen in Mr. Malfoy.

Why wasn't he running already? He was wasting time! Unfortunately for Albus, he had much more of his dad in him than he sometimes liked to admit and tonight that part of him won the battle.

 _Shit!_

He dragged Scorpius off the ground roughly, there was no time to be gentle and linked their hands together. "Run."

To Scorpius's credit he didn't falter and took off running, keeping with pace with Albus as they bolted down the hallway. Yells to stop alerted them to the fact they hadn't been quick enough to avoid being seen but they made it the portrait before anyone could catch them and Albus shoved Scorpius inside the hidden passage way, muttering a quick sticking charm behind them.

"What are you doing?" Scorpius panted, breathless from the run and the smoke. "They saw us, now we'll just get in trouble for running as well."

"Only if they catch us. There's no way they recognized us from behind, especially with your hair the way it is." Albus told him, gesturing to the ash-streaked hair, which almost completely concealed the instantly recognizable Malfoy platinum blonde. "We need to keep moving, that sticking charm wont hold."

He dragged Scorpius down the dark, roughly hewn passageway, knowing at any second the portrait was going to swing open.

"Why are you doing this?" Scorpius asked, sounding much calmer as he obediently followed Albus through the dark.

"Damned if I know." He muttered in return. When they reached the other end of the passageway, he stopped suddenly, causing Scorpius to bump into him with a small grunt.

"We're stopping? Why?"

"We need to fix you up. You might as we'll be holding a sign saying 'I like to set fires.'" Albus explained. Scorpius stood out like a sore thumb in his charred robes. "We'll come out near the Charms classroom, then we split up. If you go right you'll come to a dead end with a suit of armor on your left, kiss its cheek and it will step out of the way to reveal a set of stairs, they go straight to the fifth floor, that's where the Ravenclaw tower is right?"

"Yeah. How do you know that?"

"The perks of having a brother with a magic map."

Quickly he tapped the boy's robes with the tip of his wand, silently thanking his mom for teaching him basic household spells. He continued until Scorpius's robes look good as new. Next was his hair, which was easily fixed with a few low level cleaning spells.

"If you're caught, you admit to nothing, understand?" Albus ordered, a constant litany of curses steaming through his head as he wiped the black smudges off the boy's face with the sleeve of his robe, ignoring the flip in his stomach at how intimate this was. Why was he doing this? Why did he feel the need to protect this boy he hardly knew? Maybe his dad had been right to be worried all those years ago; maybe Malfoy's and Potter's were simply drawn to one another for better or worse?

Scorpius managed a hasty nod, still looking a bit dazed but Albus supposed he would too if he'd burnt down a piece of Hogwarts and was now being dragged through the school by a boy he'd never said more than three sentences too. Realizing it was as much confirmation as he was going to get, Albus pushed on the portrait, it swinging open to bring the two boys face to face with four stone-faced Professors and one seething Headmistress McGonagall.

 _Well Shit…_

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So I know this was a short chapter and the others will be longer, this one is really just to open the story and set the stage.


	2. Chapter 2

So to start off, I'm so sorry about how long this has taken me to update, however I've spent at least two weeks trying to upload this thing and it just wasn't working. I've finally figured out a way to do it and I just hope it turns out ok. Hope you all enjoy the chapter and the next one will be up much quicker now that I've figured out a way around whatever is happening with this website.

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They sat in silence for a long time; Headmistress McGonagall sitting across from them, anger swirling around her like a storm. Another moment passed with her glaring at the two boys, her mouth set in a flat line. Albus sunk lower in his chair, suddenly not at all confident in his ability to talk his way out this, the silence in the room an oppressive weight. McGonagall seemed to be gathering her thoughts while looking very much like she'd prefer to simply hex them both.

"In all my years…" she begun, stumbling to a stop and squeezing the wand in her hand so tightly sparks flew from the tip. Taking a deep breath she began again. "Do you two have any idea of the severity of what has occurred tonight? One of the oldest collections of magical information in the world, ash and cinders." She was tapping her wand as she spoke, a small scorch mark forming on the desk.

If he was honest with himself, Albus hadn't thought very much about exactly how much damage had been caused, he hadn't thought very much about anything when he'd pulled Scorpius to his feet and broken out into a run and it was only now beginning to sink in exactly how much trouble he'd put himself on the hook for.

"There were books in that library written by the Founders themselves! Journals by Salazar Slytherin, hand written notes by Helga Hufflepuff! Gone."

"But… aren't there magical restoration charms?" Scorpius spoke up tentatively, making Albus wince slightly and look down at his feet.

McGonagall looked ready to shoot steam from her ears as she puffed up and leaned across he table towards the blonde boy.

"That is NOT the point Mr. Malfoy!" her hand slapped against the desk and both boys flinched. "A copy, even a magical one, is not the same as an original!" Taking a deep breath she calmed herself before continuing. "Which one of you is responsible?"

Albus wanted nothing more than to disappear into his chair and away from her penetrating gaze, which was making his stomach churn and clench but he didn't, instead his kept his back straight and his face blank. It was a lesson he'd learnt as child but hadn't truly begun to master until his third year in Slytherin; as soon as you show weakness, it was all over.

Even a small crack in the calm would end whatever advantage the lie had gained for you in the first place. Thinking of a lie wasn't hard, however keeping the lie going while under the stares of angry parents and unimpressed professors was and it was taking everything he had not to crack under McGonagall's stern gaze. He remembered something Teddy had said to him once; _you don't get in trouble for lying, you get in trouble for lying badly._

Thankfully Scorpius appeared to have taken his earlier words to heart because he was sat with his shoulder rigid and had managed to scrounge up some of that famous Malfoy arrogance.

McGonagall blinked and wound her hands together, moving back into her seat so she could flick her gaze between them both, studying them both before she spoke again. "The portraits report seeing you both coming from opposite ends of the castle shortly before the fire and as far as I can tell, being in this office is the most time you two have ever spent together, so I doubt this was a plan you both cooked up. One of you is protecting the other and for the life of me, I can't fathom why."

Albus and Scorpius looked at each other briefly before dropping their eyes to the floor, making her huff angrily.

"Really boys? There is no need for both of you to be punished when I'm quite certain one of you is guilty of nothing more than being out of their common room after curfew.

Albus forced himself to meet her eyes coldly, keeping his breathing steady even though his heart was racing and he was thrilled to see Scorpius doing the same next to him, causing McGonagall's lips to press so tightly together they nearly disappeared.

"Fine. I'll expel both of you."

Her words nearly knocked the breath out of Albus and he was left reeling, knowing he'd been beaten. Whatever insanity had made him stick his neck out for Scorpius only went so far and he certainly wasn't going to be expelled for the other boy.

"You can't do that! Albus was the one who did it! Not me!"

For a second Albus was livid, glaring at the boy next to him. Until he noticed the unspoken words in Scorpius's eyes and the subtle head tilt that he nearly missed and he had to refrain from smirking. The blonde boy had just given Albus another way to win, and Albus loved winning.

"He's lying Professor, it was him! I saw him!"

"It bloody was not Potter! How dare you! I saw HIM do it!"

"Screw you Malfoy! Don't listen to him Headmistress!"

Judging from the look crossing her face, Albus was willing to bet she might actually like to hit one of them at this point, if the twitching was anything to go by.

"Is this game you'd like to play? Very well, I'll hold you both responsible. You'll both be on the train from Hogwarts first thing tomorrow morning." She snapped.

"You can't."

Albus couldn't stop his head from swinging in Scorpius's direction, surprised at the boy's nerve. Nothing had suggested thus far that the Malfoy offspring had much of a backbone; maybe he'd been wrong?

McGonagall also seemed taken aback by Scorpius's outburst and narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "Watch me, Mr. Malfoy, I'll put you on the train myself."

"It will never stick! You can't expel the son's of two of the most prestigious families in the wizarding world with no proof and contradicting accusations. My father will fight it." Scorpius continued, steel in his voice.

"As will mine." Albus added. "And he'll win Headmistress. I have a spotless record, I've never had so much as a detention."

"Neither have I. And the Malfoy name still holds some sway."

When he looked back on it later, Albus would never be sure if they'd actually outwitted her or if her blood lust had begun to abate by that time, never the less she leaned back in her chair and sighed heavily, rubbing her left eye absently as her other fingers tapped a constant rhythm on her desk.

"Your loyalty towards each other would be commendable at any other time. However now it's simply giving me a migraine. Right. You'll both have detention every Friday and Saturday night at six in the Transfiguration classroom until the end of the year or until all the books are restored, whichever comes first."

"The year has only just started!" Scorpius protested, looking chastised when Albus shot him a look that would have curdled milk.

"Also, you're both banned from any Hogsmeade visits and to be honest, I'm disappointed neither of you play Quidditch, I'd rather enjoy taking that away as well." She continued as though Scorpius hadn't spoken. "I'll also be owling your parents first thing tomorrow. Now both of you get out."

…

As the son of Harry Potter, Albus had gotten used to the attention of strangers at a very young age. All his life he'd had people staring at him, and over the years he'd managed to learn to tune it all out, all the Potter and Weasley children had, it was the only way to stay sane. Some, like James and Hugo, preened under the attention; decided that if you cant beat them, join them.

Most of them just went about their daily lives, ignoring the publicity, however Albus had gone one step further and went out of his way to blend into the background, and he'd gotten exceptionally good at; which was why when he walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, the stares smashed into him like a Bludger to the face.

He froze for a second, struggling to breathe and terrified that he might actually pass out. Instead, he kept his spine straight and made a beeline for the Slytherin table, avoiding eye contact with his sister who was trying to flag him down to the Ravenclaw table as well as avoiding the questioning eyes of all his cousins. God, why did he have to have such a massive family?

He sat down between a pale first year and a jittery looking second year, figuring they were least likely to be brave enough to ask. Unfortunately someone far less nervous quickly relocated to the seat across from him.

"Come then Potter, what's the story?"

Albus rolled his eyes at the dark skinned boy across from him before turning it into a glare. "I would have thought you'd have heard all about it by now, what with the way gossip travels in this place."

The glare made the first year cringe next to him but Derek, who sadly knew him too well to actually be intimidated by the look, just smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh I have. In the time it took me to walk from the common room to here, I heard six different versions of why there are clouds of black smoke coming from the library, all of which involve you and Scorpius Malfoy." Derek reached across the table and grabbed two pieces of toast, buttering them before taking a bite. "My personal favorite is the one I heard from a group of forth year Hufflepuff girls. Apparently you and Malfoy were shagging in the restricted section and knocked over a lamp."

"You didn't hear that! That can't be a thing? Please tell the entire school doesn't think I'm shagging Malfoy?" he hissed across the table, keeping his voice low enough so only Derek could hear. The last thing he needed was that particular rumor gaining traction and making it back to his family.

Derek snorted around a piece of toast but put him out of his misery eventually. "Don't worry, no one actually believes that rumor, however the one about you Malfoy teaming up and studying dark magic together is a popular one."

Albus groaned and buried his head in his arms, bent over the table and just wanted the rest of the world to disappear.

"Awwww don't be sad, it's not that bad."

"How is that not that bad? I already have to deal with articles once a year about me being the next big dark wizard and now half the school thinks Malfoy and I have made a junior Death Eaters club!" he hissed back, raising his head and glaring at the still smirking boy.

Derek shrugged and waved his toast dismissively. "Well you did burn down a piece of the school so you're clearly shit at it, you could use that."

Before Albus could answer, Derek sat up straight and dropped the smirk as he looked over Albus's shoulder, the Great Hall falling deathly silent for the second time that morning.

"He doesn't look too good."

Albus twisted in his seat to glance over at Malfoy who'd just entered and like him, had seemed to find himself frozen to the spot as every eye turned to him. Derek was right; Malfoy didn't look good. In fact he looked worse than he had the night before, and Albus was willing to bet he'd spent the night wide awake and thinking about what today would be like.

"Oi."

Albus jumped when a piece of toast hit the side of his head and he turned to Derek incredulously. "Did you really just….? He asked wide-eyed, not quite believing what had just happened. "What is your problem this morning?"

"Are you not going to go over to him?" Derek asked.

"Why would I? He's not my problem." _Anymore._

Derek rolled his eyes and pulled a face. "Don't be a twat, it doesn't suit you. I don't know what happened last night but whatever you dragged Malfoy into, that makes him your problem."

"What makes you think I dragged him into anything? Why is this my fault?"

"Because I'm your best friend and I know you. Whatever happened last night that got you two tangled up together, I'd bet my inheritance that it was your idea."

Albus scowled and threw a grape at Derek in retaliation for the toast. "You don't have an inheritance, Zabini. Your black widow of a grandmother made sure of that."

Derek snorted and ate the grape, knowing better than to take whatever Albus said to heart. "Your inheritance aint looking too safe right now either babe, not if that rumor about you shagging Malfoy Jr gets back to the great Harry Potter."

"Please, my inheritance has been on shaky ground from the moment that hat shouted Slytherin." Albus sneered, standing up abruptly and grabbing his bag. Leaning over the table he took Derek's last piece of toast out of his hands. "And I'm taking this because you're a shit friend." He explained before biting off a corner.

Before Derek could shoot out a response, Albus had shot off towards Scorpius, cutting the boy off just before he made it to the Ravenclaw table. Once more the Great Hall erupted into hushed whispers when he grabbed the bag hanging off the other boy's shoulder and hurried towards the exit, giving Scorpius no choice but to follow.

…

Whether Scorpius was too stunned to speak or smart enough to know this was not a conversation to have in the middle of the hall Albus didn't know. But they made it behind the greenhouses before Scorpius ripped his bag from Albus's grip with a scowl.

"You really have a problem with that you know?" Scorpius snapped, straightening his rumbled clothes with a huff.

"Noted." Albus mumbled as he scanned the area to make sure no one was close enough to hear them and they were hidden from anyone inside the castle. "I'll add it to the current list of my problems, I'm sure you'll understand when it rates pretty far down the list."

"I hope you're not always this much of a dick, because if you are, all the detentions we'll be serving together are going to be fucking awful." Scorpius snapped back tensely.

Albus opened his mouth to respond before snapping it shut before something cruel came out. Scorpius didn't deserve whatever awful thing he'd been about to say, few people ever did and it had taken him years to learn when he was about to cross the line. He'd made more than one family member cry over the years when he'd not contained it. He didn't mean to and he'd never really understood how vicious his words could be until one day Derek had told him he could be a cruel bastard when he wanted to be. It was the only times he'd ever seen Derek truly upset with him and Albus had made sure to rein himself in from then on.

With a sigh he leaned against the wall of greenhouse two, tilting his face up to the sun and tried to will away the tight knot of stomach. He wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"Look I'm sorry, ignore me when I'm being foul. I don't mean to be." He sighed again and slid down the glass wall, sitting on the grass cross-legged and staring out at the lake.

It didn't take long for Scorpius to find his place beside him on the grass, sinking down next to him silently. They watched the lake silently for a few minutes, simply enjoying the peace and quiet.

"Albus?"

"Mmmm?"

"I know we're a little early in the friendship for suicide pacts but, are you going to tell McGonagall the truth? Or are you with me in this?" he asked softly, never taking his eyes off the lake.

"If I tell McGonagall the truth you'll be expelled. I may not know what happened last night before I got there, or what you did, but I don't think you deserve that. So I stand by my decision from last night." Albus promised.

A coil in Scorpius seemed to unwind, his shoulders relaxing as he let out a shaky breath, throwing Albus a smile. "Thank you."

"You do know we can't tell anyone what happened? If it gets back to McGonagall or the newspapers, it's all over."

"We'll take it to our graves." Scorpius announced seriously, holding out his hand for Albus to shake and seal the deal.

Albus snorted at the words and his lips quirked up in laughter. "You're a bit morbid, anyone ever tell you that?"

"My father tells me I have a flair for the dramatic, I tell him it's an inherited trait."

This time Albus did let the laugh in his chest out, rubbing a hand over his face and looking at the boy grinning in front of him with amazement. How had he never noticed Scorpius? The boy stood out like a beacon, stunning clear blue eyes and hair that practically glowed in the sunlight, the pale skin of his cheeks flushed pink from the morning warmth. His fingers itched to touch the blonde strands falling around his face, just to see if it was as soft as it looked. Instead he reached out and shook the offered hand still hovering between them before he could do something stupid. It was looking like they might actually get along and he the last thing he wanted to do was ruin that by overstepping the boundaries.

"McGonagall would have sent the letters this morning, you expecting a Howler?" Albus asked once their hands had moved apart, doing his best to ignore the tingling of his skin. A crush was really not what he needed right now.

"Nah, mum and dad are in Italy visiting the grandparents, the owl wont reach them for a few days yet and even then, Malfoy's don't do Howlers, it's too low class. Dad will show up in a few days angry enough to spit venom. You?"

Albus shook his head. "Dad doesn't believe in Howlers, says its unnecessary public humiliation. Mum's on tour in America, middle of Quidditch season and dad works a lot when mum's away so James will get the letter before dad, he'll hide it for a few days to give me some time."

A low growling coming Scorpius's stomach interrupted their conversation and Albus chuckled. "Hungry?"

"Someone pulled me away from breakfast this morning." Scorpius answered pointedly.

Albus slapped the other boy's knee and jumped up, wiping the grass off himself. "Come on, I know how to get into the kitchens."

"How?"

"Nuh uh, that's a family secret Malfoy." He smirked, holding out his hand for the other boy to take, and well, if the warm hand in his made his heart stutter slightly, that was something he wasn't going to think about.

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The struggle is real people, this is the third time I've uploaded this thing and I'm hoping this time it all goes right. I have to say though; this whole ordeal has just remained me why I prefer AO3. Anyway, enough of my ranting, hope this was enjoyable.


	3. Chapter 3

Well here's chapter three, I'm so happy people are enjoying this story. Writing next gen characters is the hardest thing I've ever done, it much easier to simply play with characters who already have personalities than it is to create it from scratch, especially with this fandom where everyone has their own idea of the kinds of people the next generation would be. Anyway, as always; enjoy.

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By the time Albus made his way back to his common room he was ambushed by the Slytherin Head boy telling him curtly that his detention would be held in the Transfiguration classroom at six before stalking off, leaving Albus with the impression that he'd become even more unpopular with his housemates. Apparently burning down a section of the school trumped being a Potter on the hate-meter.

When the Head boy had disappeared, he was thankful it was past lunchtime and that it was such a nice day outside because the common room was empty apart from a lone, stressed out looking fifth year and Derek sitting on the large plush lounge in the center of the room.

Most people disliked the Slytherin common room and Albus would be the first to admit that the huge emerald green tapestries, high backed furniture and antique decorations gave the appearance of unfriendliness and superiority that Slytherin's were infamous for however he loved it, loved the dim atmosphere, the feeling you get from being underground. It was comforting. He was debating whether it was worth trying to get some sleep before his detention when Derek looked up from his book with a smirk.

"Look what the cat dragged in, you been out making new friends?"

"Bugger off." Albus whined, dropping his bag next to the coffee table and kicking off his shoes. He failed at holding back a yawn, the lack of sleep catching up with him, and sunk down next the Derek. "I have detention tonight at six. I need a few hours sleep." He mumbled, kicking absently at Derek's ankle.

"This detention wouldn't have anything to do with your adventures with Malfoy would it? And you still haven't told me about that you know." Derek reminded him, lifting his book away from his lap and allowing Albus to rest his feet in his lap.

Albus murmured his thanks and rested his head on the plush arm of the couch, closing his eyes and doing his best to relax. "I can't tell you, Scorpius and I made a suicide pact."

Derek froze and Albus could feel his eyes on him. "Al?"

"Mmmmm?"

"Do I need to worry about you?"

Albus shook his head and hummed no which seemed enough to pacify Derek as he moved his attention back to his book and allowed Albus to drift off to sleep.

…

Albus woke with a start, Derek nudging his shoulder gently followed by a sharp rap to the head with the book he'd been reading.

"Fucking hell!" Albus swore loudly, sitting up quickly.

"My leg has fallen asleep."

Albus glared at him and rubbed the side of head with a glare. "You're a dick, you know that right?"

"I'm aware." Derek smirked.

He rolled his eyes and stood up, stretching his arms above his head until he heard a satisfying pop and ruffled his bed head hair away.

He noticed the darkness of the common room and froze. "Wait, what's the time?"

"About twenty minutes before your detention starts."

"Right, I gotta go. McGonagall might actual start breathing fire if I'm late." He mumbled as he picked his discarded bag off the floor. If he was lucky, he might actually be able to get some homework done, that's if whatever Professor they'd been dumped on didn't have them scrubbing cauldrons all night.

He'd barely made it through the common room door when he was ambushed from either side by two red heads.

"Lily. Rose." He nodded his head in greeting, but keeping his tone flat in the hopes they'd get the hint and go away.

No such luck.

"That's is? That's what we get? Well hello to you too big brother." Lily muttered, rolling her eyes. "What the hell kinda trouble have you gotten yourself into Al?" she demanded, forced to jog slightly to keep up with Albus as he hurried down the hallway.

The last thing he needed was to be late.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? People don't make rumors about nothing Al."

"What family do you remember growing up in? That's all people do Lily! That's been our entire lives."

"Yeah except when some gossip column prints that Dad and Aunt Hermione are having an affair, it's a load of crap and there isn't a giant, smoking piece of evidence. You on the other hand, are not so lucky Albus, what with the still smoldering pile of ashes that was once the school library!" Lily hissed angrily.

"Why do you care?"

Rose's arm shot out in front of his chest, forcing him to stumble to a stop. "How about you climb off your high horse and stop pretending you're above us all? We're your family, we're worried about you."

"Look, I don't have time for this ok?" Albus sighed, stepping around Rose who was still blocking his way and continuing onwards. Even detention was looking better than this.

"Al! If any of the rumors are even half true, you're in a lot of trouble." Lily warned him. "And when Dad finds out.."

"I'll be drawn and quartered." Albus finished for her bluntly with a sneer. "I know."

Lily's lips thinned and Albus couldn't help but think how much she looked like their mother.

"Don't talk to me like that Albus." She warned.

"We just want to know what happened Al, whatever it was, maybe we can help?" Rose cut in gently, always the calm to Lily's storm.

"And if Dad doesn't already know what's happened, someone will tell him." Lily told him, tone of voice just the wrong side of threatening for Albus's liking.

He stopped dead and turned to face his sister with narrowed eyes. "That sounds awfully close to a threat little sis. You sure you want to play that game? Because I'm already the black sheep of the family, but you've got a long way to fall."

"For the record, I wasn't threatening you Al, but even if I was, you've got nothing on me." Lily snorted, a small smile pulling at her lips.

"Really? One word; Macnair." Albus leaned towards her, almost whispering the last word. Her smile faltered for a second before she regained composer and it was back, although slightly shaker than before.

"That's old news Albus, mum and dad already know about me and Malcolm. In case you've forgotten it was splattered all over the Daily Prophet six months back, and even if it wasn't, we broke up a month ago, its over.

Rose shifted slightly, looking uncomfortable and Albus couldn't blame her. When it had come out Lily was dating the grandson of Walden Macnair, one time executioner for the Ministry and well-known Death Eater, chaos had erupted in the family.

"Mmm but that isn't the whole story is it Lil? Does dad know why he never found any of those dark artifacts he'd been looking for when they raided the Macnair manor a few months back?" he asked innocently, satisfied when her face went pale and the smile dropped completely.

"How do you know about that?" she whispered shakily and Albus felt a stab of regret.

Lily had pushed first, and he'd done what he always did. He could never just retaliate appropriately; he always jumped straight to destroy.

Albus stopped walking, just a few doors down from the Transfiguration room and leaned against the wall, hands shoved in his pockets.

"Your boyfriend's a talker when Firewhisky starts getting passed around, says things he shouldn't."

"Ex-boyfriend."

"Lily? What's he talking about?" Rose asked quietly as though she was almost afraid of the answer.

"Nothing."

"Lily…"

"I said it's nothing. Now, I'd like to talk to my brother alone for a second." Lily muttered, never taking her eyes of Albus.

"You're freaking kidding me, right?" Rose snapped, looking between them both. She huffed when neither of them responded. "Fine! Fucking hell." She hissed, stomping away from them back down the hall until she was out of hearing distance and leaned against the wall, glaring at them both.

"You're a bastard for bringing that up Al." Lily whispered hotly. "This had nothing to do with that, you should have kept your mouth shut."

"You're right, I overstepped. But you can't seem to take no for an answer, this is the first time we've spoken in weeks and you think you can just ambush me outside my common room? And then threaten me when I don't spill my secrets to you? And don't say you weren't threatening me cos we both know damn well you were." He hissed back, cutting her off quickly when it looked like she might interrupt.

"If you knew, why didn't you say anything?" she asked eventually.

"Because I know when something isn't any of my business." He told her. "Although, while we're at it, what the hell Lily? Hiding those things for him? And in Grimmauld place no less! What if someone had found them? Better yet what if they were dangerous? How could you be so fucking stupid, Ravenclaws are meant to be smart!"

"I know alright!" She yelled back, quickly lowering her voice with a glance over at Rose. "I was stupid and I regret it. I thought I was in love." She added with a shrug.

"Albus!"

He startled and looked over to the right where Scorpius was standing by the Transfiguration classroom door further down the hallway, trying to get his attention. His stomach did an odd little flip at the sight of the blonde boy and he groaned internally. One day, he'd known the boy one day and he already had a crush. This was bad. So bad.

"We're going to be late!" Scorpius yelled.

"Albus? He calls you Albus? Since when are you besties with Malfoy?" Lily asked him, pulling a face.

"We're not besties." he sighed, rolling his eyes and moving away from her. "And I really do have to go. I have detention."

He waved to Rose who raised her hand in goodbye, still glaring and ran down to Scorpius, slipping into the classroom right behind the other boy and nearly ran into his back when he saw who would be overseeing their detention. Albus immediately decided that scrubbing cauldrons all night wouldn't be so bad as long as he could have anybody else sitting behind that desk.

Scorpius seemed to be thinking the same thing, as he seemed to have frozen completely in front of him, eyes widening slightly. "Headmistress!" he sounded as surprised as Albus felt.

"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter, you're on time. Well done." She smiled but the frostiness behind it made Albus's stomach drop. "Please, sit down."

When they both headed to the table closest to the door she hummed in amusement. "Nice try boys, but no. Down to the front please, opposite ends of the table."

Albus sighed quietly and made his way to the front of the classroom and took a seat at the far right of the long table, Scorpius taking his place on the far left.

"I'm sure you both must have some homework that needs to be done?" McGonagall asked tensely when they both sat there in awkward silence.

She waited until both of them had pulled out some work to do before returning to her own work and leaving Albus to dread the next few hours.

He managed to focus on his potions essay for over an hour before his hand begun to cramp and his concentration wavered. It was heard to write a coherent thought when every now and then he could feel the searching gaze of McGonagall on him and making the hair on the back of neck prickle.

He glanced up at McGonagall who was busy scrawling rapidly on a piece of parchment and decided it was worth the risk. After allowed a minute to pass he pulled out a scrap piece of parchment and scribbled down a hasty note,

' _Please tell me you're as bored as I am?'_

He quickly folded the note a few times and with more glance up at the desk, he flicked it down the table towards Scorpius. Thankfully the other boy saw it out of the corner of his eye and casually placed his hand over it just in time for McGonagall to look up at them. Her eyes seemed to narrow slightly and Albus's heart missed a beat, he really must have a death wish.

Not wanting to push his luck any further he looked down at his unfinished essay, not bothering to see if Scorpius was going to reply or not. Which is why he's a little startled a few minutes later when he feels the returned note hit his arm.

' _ **I've written the same sentence three times, and it still doesn't make sense. This is torture. What did your sister want?'**_

Albus was confused for a second how Scorpius had recognized his sister and then he remembered Scorpius and Lily were in the same house, they'd probably run into each other on more than one occasion. Looking up at McGonagall, Albus sighed.

He'd had always considered himself a fairly smart person, however he decided he might have to rethink that belief because despite all common sense telling him otherwise, he found himself doing very stupid things lately, like passing notes under the eyes of a hawk. He completely blamed Scorpius for this.

' _Did you end up going back to your common room after lunch? And not much, just to harass me about what happened last night.'_

' _ **Unfortunately. I'm now everyone's favorite topic of conversation, although is it still considered conversation when people just whisper behind you back? Did you tell her?'**_

' _Of course not, I promised didn't I? It will go away. People will get bored soon enough.'_

' _ **Is it always like this for you? I imagine being the son of Harry Potter gives you a certain amount of fame.'**_

' _It comes and goes. Every now and then interest will flare up and I'll be front page of the Daily Prophet. James has always been the one who likes the spotlight, so he's always taken most of the attention._

 _What about you? Your family name is just as famous as mine.'_

' _ **The Potter name is famous, my family name is infamous; my father has worked very hard to make sure the name Malfoy doesn't end up in the papers for any reason. I managed to buggered that up didn't I?'**_

' _I'm sure he'll forgive you. Does he ever talk about it? About the war?'_

Later Albus would ask himself what had given him the courage to ask such a thing and as soon as he'd sent the note, he regretted asking his new friend such a personal question.

He was left wondering if he would have gotten a reply when McGonagall cleared her throat and raised her gaze.

"Alright boys, it's getting late. Your next detention will be held same time, same place on Friday."

They both nodded and packed up their things, Albus's stomach falling when Scorpius avoided his eyes. As they made their escape, Albus tried to get the other boy's attention but there wasn't much he could do under McGonagall's watchful gaze and he cursed the fact that their common rooms were on opposite sides of the castle as he watched Scorpius turn left and hurry off without a word.

"Goodnight Headmistress." He mumbled sullenly, hitching his bag up higher and shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Goodnight Mr. Potter."

 **OOOoooOOOoooOOO**

Next chapter won't be too far away, that's the beauty of Easter holidays, no work so I can actually get some writing done.

See you all next time xxx


	4. Chapter 4

I've given up apologizing, never seems to help me get the next chapter up quicker. But I know the spaces between my uploads is disgraceful and I know waiting is awful and I want you to know that I really do try to be better but there's something about both this story and work that just makes me really struggle with it. Anyway, please enjoy. Things are beginning to get good.

 **OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO**

It's been three days Derek! Three fucking days! He still wont talk to me, why?" Albus ranted, pacing back and forth in the middle of the common room.

Derek rolled his eyes and did his best to ignore him, trying instead to focus on his homework. "I think the real question is why do you care so much?" he mumbled, not taking his eyes off the piece of parchment in front of him, quill scribbling furiously.

Albus halted his pacing and turned to frown at Derek, indignant fury radiating off him like a dark cloud. "I don't care!" he answered hotly, "I just… don't like being ignored."

"Clearly."

"Besides, you're the one who told me to be friends with him in the first place!" Albus threw back at him.

"I told you not to be a prick to him. Never said you had be BFF's."

Albus pouted and ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. He hated feeling like this, hated being all wound up around a boy he barely knew. They hadn't spoken since the night of their detention when he'd put his foot in it over asking the blonde boy about his dad. It had been insensitive and impulsive but he couldn't help but think Scorpius was severely over reacting.

"I'll make him like me." He mumbled defiantly, kneeling down on the plush leather couch facing Derek. He crossed his arms over the back of the couch and rested his chin on the crossed arms.

Derek snorted and looked over at Albus for the first time. "You can't make people like you."

"What are you talking about? I make people do things all the time." He answered, confusion making him frown.

"You manipulate people Al. You can't manipulate someone into liking you."

"Well why not?"

"Because people don't work that way."

"Well they should!" Albus hissed, sinking his chin further into his arms.

Derek frowned and closed his book slowly, put his quill down and turned in his chair to face Albus. Albus hesitated at the sudden undivided attention given to him, suddenly feeling that this conversation was about to go in an unpleasant direction.

"Why does this wind you up so much?"

"What do you mean? I don't like him not liking me. That's a normal human emotion right? Wanting to be liked by people?"

"Lots of people don't like you, that's nothing new. What makes this time different? Why is he special?"

"He's not. He's not special in the slightest." Albus answered, feeling his throat close up.

He couldn't help hating himself a little for the lie. His sexuality had never been an issue until Scorpius had come barreling into his life; he was the first boy Albus had ever been attracted to enough to make him ever consider doing anything about it. Up until now the thought of being splashed all over the newspapers had been enough of a deterrent.

Stupid Malfoy and his stupid face.

"Come on Al, you know better than to lie to me." Derek smiled at him, looking at Albus like he was afraid the other boy would bolt if he made any sudden movements. "Al, do you have a crush?"

"On Malfoy? No. Of course not!" he denied, the lie sounding much smoother in his head than how it came out. "Don't be ridiculous, he's a boy. And a Malfoy, and just… no."

"Al…"

"Mr. Potter?"

Albus jumped slightly at his name being called, spinning his head to the common room entrance where the Slytherin Head Girl was standing, watching him with barely concealed disdain.

"Miranda! How's life treating you?" he asked cheerfully which only served to make her lips tighten.

"Busy. Thanks to you, McGonagall has us patrolling the school in double shifts." She answered bitterly.

"Would you hate me less if I apologized?"

"No."

Albus shrugged and climbed off the couch. "Figured as much. Probably for the best, I'm not really the apologizing type."

"Hmmm." She hummed dryly before her lips turned up into a smile, making his stomach drop. "McGonagall wants to see you in her office, you have a visitor."

"This visitor wouldn't happen to be Harry Potter would it?" he asked.

"You know what, it just might be. I did think he looked awfully familiar. Good luck Potter, the look he had on his face, I think you're going to need it."

 **OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO**

"Are you… happy Albus?" his dad ran a hand through his hair and Albus itched to do the same.

Albus hesitated, eyes narrowing at the unexpected question. This was already not going the way he thought it would. He'd entered McGonagall's office to see his dad leaning against her desk, glaring at him while McGonagall hovered disapprovingly by the doorway. She'd made her exist about a minute into what turned out to be a five minutes staring match between his dad and him.

"What like, right now? Or just on average? Cos in general I'm pretty ok."

"Really? Are you sure? Because happy, well adjusted teenagers don't generally set fire to buildings!"

"Dad."

"Don't 'Dad' me! What the hell Albus! I come home to a letter on my desk telling me you and Scorpius Malfoy had burnt down a part of the school. I didn't even know you spoke to Malfoy! And then James tells me the rumors."

"Rumors? What rumors?" he asked, stomach flipping at the thought. If the next words out of his dad's mouth had anything to do with some rumor about him and Scorpius dating, he might actually die from embarrassment.

"About you and Malfoy being apart of an underground Death Eater club."

Albus made a noise of disgust and rolled his eyes, wondering when everyone was going to let the whole 'evil Slytherin' thing go.

"It's not funny Albus."

The tone of his dad's voice made him freeze, blood running cold when he saw how uncomfortable his dad looked. There was something in his eyes he didn't like, a guarded fear that made Albus's chest clench.

"You don't actually believe that do you? He asked, keeping his voice light.

Harry opened his mouth before sighing and snapping his shut, his eyes sliding to the floor and when he spoke he sounded resigned in a way Albus had never heard before. "I don't want to."

"Dad." He hadn't know how much of a punch to the gut words could be. "It's a stupid rumor! You know what this place is like, what bullshit Hogwarts rumors are, you know better than anyone!"

"Sometimes they get it right, I also know that better than anyone." Harry looked liked he'd rather be anywhere else but here, leaning against McGonagall's desk.

Albus was having trouble breathing. All his life he'd been the outcast, the one who just didn't quite fit in but no matter what his dad had always stood by him. His dad had been the one to soothe his fears about being placed in Slytherin, the one who held him while he cried after the Daily Prophet printed their first 'The next Dark Lord?' article at the end of his first year.

Never in his life had he ever thought his dad would even consider the possibility of him turning into a Death Eater and it hurt. His eyes begun to sting and he realised they'd filled with unshed tears without him knowing but he fought it back. He wouldn't cry. He was above that.

"You know me better than that. Or at least you should." He surprised himself by the coldness of his voice; he'd never spoken to his dad like that before.

Harry let out a sharp laugh and it made Albus flinch at the harshness.

"Do I? I thought I did, but the truth is, we haven't had a proper conversation since you were thirteen." Harry was pacing now, back and forth in front of Albus. "I thought you'd grow out of it, thought it was just a phase, just a teenage thing. I mean I don't know Albus! If you were in over your head with something or involved in something I wouldn't know!"

"So what, because I'm a private person I'm suddenly involved in some illicit underground Death Eater club?" Albus snapped back, feeling the anger bubbling beneath his skin. "Here's a newsflash dad, I don't have time to join any secret muggle hate groups! Between McGonagall's detentions, classes, and the fucking ocean of homework I wade through every night, I barely sleep, let alone have the spare time to practice dark magic in the bloody school library!"

He wasn't sure when he had stood up but he found himself eye level with his dad, seething with anger as he caught his breath from his outburst.

Stupid.

Reacting so loudly and violently wasn't doing him any favors in convincing his dad he wasn't a violent psychopath. But it hurt, it hurt so much more than Albus had thought it could and what made it worse was the fact that if James were standing in his place, his dad would never even consider the rumor. But no, James was a Gryffindor and he a Slytherin which meant James would also get the benefit of the doubt, and he never would.

House prejudice was alive and well in the Wizarding world, no matter what his family liked to say.

His dad was simply watching him now, there was sadness in his eyes and Albus wasn't sure he wanted to know the cause of. His outburst had deflated his dad substantially, the man no longer pacing back and forth in front of him. Albus sunk back into his chair, head bowed and staring at the floor, being defiant here wasn't going to help and he needed to calm himself down before he blew it for both himself and Scorpius.

When he finally looked back up to meet his dad's eyes, there was a look in them he'd never seen before, it was a mixture of pity, guarded wariness mixed with realization and it made Albus's stomach churn. He knew right then that his relationship with his dad was never going to be the same the same again, that knowledge left like a clammy hand gripping the base of his neck. And all for a crime he didn't even commit.

"How much trouble am I in?" he asked, keeping his voice cold and flat.

"With your mother and I? Harry asked softly. "That depends. Putting the rumors aside, McGonagall says there's conflicting stories. Did you do it Albus?"

"Does it matter? I'm still being punished for it."

"That's not what I asked." Harry snapped, eyes flashing with the temper he was famous for. "I want you to look me in the eyes Albus and tell me that you know nothing about what happened, about Scorpius Malfoy, I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me you're a completely innocent party in all this."

Albus kept his eyes trained on the floor, softening his face, eyes widening in a way he knew made him look more trustworthy before he lifted his head and met his dad's eyes. This was the hard part. He had to make his gaze strong enough not to look guilty and yet not so strong as to come off as challenging.

"I promise dad. I'm innocent."

Harry watched him closely, eyes narrowing before letting out a snort. "You know what scares me Al? I think you could look me in the eye and tell me the sky was purple and you'd say it with such conviction that I might just believe you. And you wouldn't feel any guilt for lying would you?"

"I rarely feel guilty for anything." He admitted, meeting his dad's gaze head on. If his dad wanted to know the truth, he could have it.

"I've noticed."

Before anymore could be said there was a knock on the door signaling the return of Headmistress McGonagall.

"I'm sorry Harry but I'm going to have to cut this visit short, I have another meeting arriving any minute."

Albus had never been more grateful for McGonagall's presence, any longer and he feared one or both of them would have said something that couldn't be taken back. A quick glance at his dad told him that Harry wanted out of this room as much as he did.

"Of course Headmistress, we'll have to meet up for tea sometime?" Harry announced, straightening himself up and giving the fireplace a woeful stare. After all these years, the floo network still didn't agree with him. "And you." He added, turning back to Albus, "You and I are going to have a proper talk when you come home for Christmas. I mean it Albus, it's long overdue." And with that final warning he disappeared into the green flames leaving Albus to frown at the thought of what a 'proper' conversation entailed. He imagined it would be nothing and hoped he wouldn't be expected to cry. He'd never quite mastered fake crying.

"You can go back to your free period now Mr. Potter."

He shot her a thankful smile as he stood up; she seemed to have thawed slightly towards him since their first detention.

When he stepped outside her office and into the usually deserted hallway he was surprised to see Scorpius leaning against the stone wall, a worried look on his face and viciously gnawing on his bottom lip.

"Al." the blonde's eyes brightened suddenly as he pushed away from the wall. "What were you doing in there?"

"Oh so you're talking to me now?" Albus bit back bitterly, immediately scolding himself internally. Had he forgotten that he wanted Scorpius to be talking to him? He wanted the strange and immediate comfort that came from the other boy's presence, especially now. The conversation he'd just had with his dad leaving him feeling like there was a hole in his chest.

Scorpius crumpled in on himself and slunk back against the wall, eyes sinking to his feet and continuing the pull his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Yeah. Sorry about that. I freaked out a little." The blonde answered softly. "And then I didn't know how to fix it."

"And ignoring me completely seemed like the best option?" Albus sighed, the anger from the past few days simmering down before fading completely. He didn't have the right to be so angry, they were barely even friends. "If you didn't want me asking about your dad, you should have just told me to shut up. At least then Derek wouldn't be ready to suffocate me in my sleep so he doesn't have to listen to me ranting anymore."

"You've been ranting about me?" Scorpius asked with a huff of laughter.

"Nothing too bad. Promise." He smirked in response.

Scorpius gave him a crooked smile. It flickered slightly a moment later when he shrugged his shoulders. "Seriously though. I am sorry. It's just, when you're a Malfoy people asking about your family is never a good thing. Our role in the war is no secret."

"Believe me, I know the weight a name can carry. I should have known better." Albus conceded, taking the necessary steps forward to close the gap between them.

They were now close enough for Scorpius to search his eyes properly and he sighed. "Your dad was here wasn't he? You look like you've had the wind knocked out of you."

"Yeah. And you being out here means you're probably up next."

"Makes sense. No complaints of favoritism if they're both here on the same day."

"It'll be ok. What's the worse that can happen?" Albus said, wanting to erase the worry from the blonde's face.

"Disown me? Write me out of my inheritance and blast my name off the family tree?" he suggested dully and Albus wanted to reach out and pull Scorpius's bottom lip away from his teeth before he drew blood.

"Oh don't be dramatic. If he was going to disinherit you, he would have done it when you besmirched the noble Malfoy bloodline by being placed in Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin."

"He was really happy about that actually. I think the less I turn out like him, the happier he gets." Scorpius admitted.

Albus moved closer, feet moving before his brain could catch up. The open hallway felt much too big for their conversation and he was desperate to make their world a little smaller. The closer he got, the more relaxed Scorpius seemed to become and Albus was thrilled that being close had the same soothing affect on the other boy that it did on him. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one irrationally affected by a boy he hardly knew.

"You'll be fine. Just tell him the truth." Albus told him, "Well as much as you can." He added when Scorpius raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And remember, the portraits will look like they're sleeping but they're not. They hear everything."

"How do you know that?"

"My family members have spent more collective time in that office than most Headmasters do." Albus snorted. "And stop biting your lip, it's distracting as hell." He reached up and used the pad of his thumb to pull the boy's bottom lip away from his teeth.

When he realised what he'd done, he froze, hand hovering in mid air by Scorpius's face, the blonde's wide eyes staring back at him in shock.

They stood stock still, staring at each other, neither quite knowing what to do with the sizzling tension between them. Albus still wasn't certain the other boy wasn't going to slap him when he realised exactly what had just happened.

"Do you get distracted by my lips often?" he asked, a smile tagging at his lips.

"More than I should." Albus admitted, a fluttering in his stomach he'd never felt before.

"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter."

Albus flinched and leaned away slightly, dropping his hand awkwardly.

McGonagall narrowed her eyes at them and gestured for Scorpius. Before the other boy could leave, Albus leaned back in close and whispered in Scorpius's ear.

"Meet me in the Astronomy tower afterwards."

Albus couldn't be sure but he thought he could feel Scorpius shiver at their closeness, Albus being close enough for the heat of his breath to ghost against the blonde's neck. He wasn't sure where this boldness was coming from but he was happy for it.

"Mr. Potter, please step away from Mr. Malfoy. I have no desire to watch two of my students fluff around each other in my hallway like a pair of mating peacocks."

Albus flushed pink and hurried back from Scorpius, whatever courage he'd had disappearing like smoke. Scorpius let out a huff of awkward laughter and slipped away from Albus, both of them avoiding the others gaze. Scorpius and McGonagall disappeared up the staircase without another word and Albus was left trying to contain his grin. Scorpius liked him, he had too, if only a little for him to react the way he did.

The question was, was this something he wanted to explore? Should he let it take its natural course or put a stop to it before he found himself in over his head in the middle of a relationship that would cause him nothing but trouble. He was already an outcast with his family, bringing home a Malfoy could only cause that to worsen.

And yet, at the thought of Scorpius's beautiful eyes and the pink flush of his skin when he was embarrassed, the feeling he got in the pit of his stomach that had nothing to do with the fluttering, the feeling that for the first time in a very long time he could be exactly who he was without fear of judgment he decided it would be worth it.

 **OOOoooOOOoooOOO**

There it is. I'm working on making the chapters a little longer so the wait time for them might vaguely seem worth it. Hoped you enjoyed it.


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